Feed-water heater



H. C, DAVIS.

FEED WATER HEATER, EVAPORATOR, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19. I918.

Patented Mar. 22, 1921 IIIIIIII/ ll/II/I/IIIIIIIII/IIIIIII/lI/Il/I/I/III/l/II/l/I/lIIIIII/IIII/III/IIIIII/IIIIIIII/III/I/I'II/I/II/IIIIIIII/II/IIII/III 1 ATTORNEY of which .the following UNITED STATES OI ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB T0 AMERICAN MARINE PATENT OFFICE.

- EQUWOORPORATION, OF NEW YORK. N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

FEED-WATER HEATER, EVAPOBATOR. AND THE LIKE a" citizen ofthe United States, and a resident of Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State "of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed- Water Heaters, Evaporators, and the like,

is a specification. The invention pertains more particularly to feed-water, heaters, and the object of the invention is to provide a highly efficient feed-water heater adapted to receive and permit the passage through it of exhaust steam for thereby imparting heat therefrom to feed-water passing through tubes arranged within the shell of the heater and ex sed to the steam.

' present my invention herein as embodied in a feed-water heater adapted to receive all of the exhaust steam from the hoisting en ines, dynamos, pumps, steering engines and other auxiliary en 'nes to be found on modern steamships an to utilize the same in heating the water fed to the boilers.

one special purpose of the invention is the provision" of novel banks of tubes through which the feed-water passes and which tubes are straight as distinguished.

from being in the form of helical coils. The tubes of the feed-water heater of my invention are preferabl horizontally disposed and are approximate y of crescent or kidney bean shape in crom-section, one side of the tube havin a curved longitudinal depression or in entation extending practically the full length thereof, and this indentation instead of bein parallel with the axis of the tube, exten s spirallymaround the same. The type of tube em died in my invention is a straight tube having a spiral depression or identation. and one purpose of this type of tube is to give the water a rotative motion when passing through the same, to increase the efliciency of the tube as a heat transmitter and to provide a tube ermitting of the use of an internal scraper or cleaning the same.

My invention will be understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference bein had to the accompanying drawings, in w ich:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a feed-water heater constructed in accordance with and embodying my invention;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 19, 1918. Serial No. 254,807.

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through the same. taken on the dotted line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on a larger scale, through one of the tubes.

In the drawings, 10 designates the shell of the heater, 11 the inlet for exhaust steam to said shell, 12 the outlet or drain there from, 13 a head bolted to and closing one end of said shell, and 14 a head closing the other end of sald shell and comprising a tube plate 15, an outer plate or head 16 and a ring 17 interposed between said parts 15, 16 and having an inlet 18 for water and an outlet 19 for the water after the same has become heated. A. partition 20 subdivides the chamber formed by the ring 17 and plates 15, 16 into an inlet chamber 21 and an outlet chamber 22. The head 14 may be variously formed to provide the inlet chamber 21 and outlet chamber 22, but the construction shown is one which it is convenient to provide and is durable and efiicient.

Within the shell 10 are concentric rows or banks of straight tubes 23 which are parallel with one another and secured at one end in the plate or sheet 15 and at the other end in a plate 24 to which a head 25 is secured and which, with the plate 24, forms a header into which the water from the tubes, connected with the inlet chamber 21, may flow and from which said water may escape into the tubes 23 connected with the outlet chamber 22, the water being thus compelled to pass from the inlet chamber, 21 through all of the lower tubes 23' and then return through all of the upper tubes 23 to the outlet chamber 22. Instead of the water entering throu h the inlet 18 and thence passing through t e tubes and to the outlet 19, a reverse operation may take place, the water being admitted at 19 and thence caused to travel through the tubes and find an outlet at 18. The tubes 23, plates 24, 25 and plate 15 constitute a self-contained structure or unit which may be applied to position in the shell 10, the same bemg slid into the shell until the plate 15 abuts against the flange at the outer end of the shell, as shown in Fig. 1. The plates 24, 25 constitute an inner header for the tubes 23 and it is centered between lugs 26 cast on the shell 10 an open space, except at said lugs, being le around the periphery of the plates 24, 25 for the passage of stem, '0 that the steam may enter I pression or indentation 27 extending around the head 13 and impart its heat to the plate 25and to the water flowing against the same. The tubes 23 are of special construction in that they are straight and parallel with one another and that each containsa spiral deheat to the water, this increase of heat being due to the decrease in the cross-sectional area of the tubes and the consequent increase of the velocity ofthe water flowing through the tubes. The tubes having the spiral groove or depression 27 will shed water, thus avoiding any reduction in the efiiciency of the tube which might take place if water remained in the groove or indentation 27. The tubes 23 by being straight, although having the spiral groove'or indentation, will permit of the use of an internal scraper for cleaning the same, and this is a feature of great advantage which would not be attained if the tubes were spirally coiled. The tubes may also be drawn by the tube-mills at no appreciable cost above that of drawing regular round tubes. The great efficiency of the type of tubes 23 permits of the construction of a highly eflicient feed-water-heater without an excessive number of tubes, and this results in a reductionin the number of tube-joints in the plates.

In the employment of the invention the steam is admitted at the inlet 11 and fills the shell 10 around the tubes 23 and plate 25, and the drain is through the outlet 12. The Water is admitted to the chamber '21 and flows thence through the tubes 23 connected with said chamber and thence to the chamber within the head 25, whence it re turns through the tubes-23 running to the chamber 22, said water beinglreated in transit by the steam filling the shell 10. In-

stead of the water passing from the chamber 21 through the lower tubes 23 and returning through the upper tubes 23'to-the chamber 22, it may befound desirable to use the chamber 22 as an inlet chamber for water and causes the water to flow through the up per tubes 23 to'the chamber in the head-25 and then return through the lower tubes 23 to the chamber 21, which will then constitute an outlet chamber for thewater;

The construction as a'wholehas been designed with theview of producing a feed capable of cared for. g

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. In apparatus ofthe character described comprising a chamber having inlet and outlet connections, a bank of straighttubes in communication with, said connections and being readily constructed and .water heater of increased efiiciency. and one having a longitudinal indentation in theside thereof forming a groove extending spirally around the tube.

2. In apparatus of the character described comprising a horizontal shell having an in- 7 let and an outlet for steam and inlet and outlet connections for the flow of water,a

bank of straight horizontal parallel tubes in communication with said water connections and having a longitudinal indentation in the side thereof forming a grooye extending spirally around the tube. 2 y Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this llth day of September, A. D. 1918. V

HOWARD DAVIS.

Witnesses:

J. R. Fnrrrr, CHAS.'O. GILL. 

